(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to travel control methods and in particular to such methods which are used to control search vehicles.
(2) Brief Description of the Prior Art
When searching an area for an object such as a mine, it is often desirable to search an area using expendable units. These units should have a relatively low cost, but they should also be capable of searching an area in an efficient fashion.
One way of searching an area is by an ordered search algorithm such as a grid. Grids are not readily adaptable to rough terrain, and the party positioning the search object can optimize placement of search objects to reduce grid efficiency.
Another method of searching an area is by random dispersal. Random dispersal requires little control and accommodates any terrain type. The problem with random dispersal is that it is inefficient. Some areas go unsearched while other areas are subjected to multiple searches.
Various methods and apparatus are disclosed in the prior art for controlling robotic vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,614 to Ashworth, for example, discloses a control apparatus and method for autonomous vehicles. Obstacle sensors onboard each vehicle produce signals associated with obstacles used for navigation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,450 to Onishi discloses a control method for multiple robots in which a central control station distributes remaining tasks to robots having no task.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,456 to Summerville et al. discloses a control system for automatically guided vehicles. A stationary control computer schedules the activities of individual robots.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,030 to Nishikawa et al. discloses a travel control method for a plurality of robots. Each destination route is searched for availability prior to being used to control a robot's travel path.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,489 to Kawakami discloses a mobile robot control system in which each robot emits a signal. The signal is used to stop movement of other robots about to traverse the same route.
None of these methods provides a control method using a decentralized method of controlling low cost robots.